“Ugh...that’s gonna hurt in the morning.” Looking over, the dark hedgehog spotted Leo pulling himself from a pile of rocks. “Hey, Jac, do you think you could go a little easier next time?”

“What are you still doing here?” Jac questioned hoarsely.

“Yeah, about that.” Leo said sheepishly, pulling himself free of the rubble. “I knew I wasn’t gonna get out in time, so I did the only thing I could do. I used two Chaos Cyclones to push back the attack. But that attack still sent me flying into the rocks.”

“You’re definitely not the same hedgehog I met when I rescued you from Eggman.” Jac wheezed while hiding in his thoughts. “This is bad. I was stupid to use an attack that uses most of my energy. I barely have enough energy to stand.”

“You look tired.” Leo said confidently. “Maybe you want to give up now. You know I’m the best.”

“I’ll say it once more.” Jac chuckled weakly. “In your dreams.”

With a look of victory, Leo dashed over to his opponent, twisting his leg around for the finishing blow. Unfortunately, things never go as planned for Leo. Slowly regaining his strength, Jac was able to raise his forearm to halt the blue blur’s attack. At the opportune moment, Jac grasped Leo by the ankle and tossed him to the wall – Leo was starting to hate the rock. Before Leo had a chance to stand up, Jac jumped over the surface of the water and glided to the center, clutching his chest.

“I may not be able to fight at the moment, but that won’t matter.” Jac muttered lowly. “Leo can’t walk across the water unless he wants to drown. And while he’s waiting for me to make my move, he can get my strength back.”

“So, you really got me this time.” Leo said musingly, tracing his steps near the shore. “Yep, there is no way I can get you now.”

“Why do you sound like you’re being sarcastic?” Jac asked suspiciously.

“What are you talking about?!” Jac questioned incredulously. “You can’t walk on water or have the use of Extreme Gear. There is no way you could reach me out here unless you suddenly sprouted wings or something similar...”

“Funny you should mention that.” Leo grinned deviously. “Because you’ll be the first to see my secret technique.”

A secret technique? What secret technique? But it wasn’t just Jac who held this thought. Everyone, including Hybrid, wondered how Leo could whip up a secret technique during the midst of the battle. The only who didn’t seem surprised was Solstice, who held a smug expression. Back on the battlefield, Leo was hunched over, gasping as if the life was being strangled out of him. All of a sudden, the air around the hedgehog began to thicken and Jac could barely breathe. The air around Leo was gaining a solid form, making nexus hedgehog believe he was losing his sanity. When Jac could breathe easy again, the blue blur had manipulated the wind around him.

“Aw, come on, Jac.” Leo said playfully. “I thought you of all people would know that there is nothing we can’t do. If you don’t believe me, just watch.”

Leo hurtled into the sky. Jac’s disbelieving eyes were opened to the farthest reaches above, following the blue hedgehog as he soared through the shifting clouds. While enjoying his new sense of freedom, Leo dived towards the water like a spear. Jac barely recovered from his shock and pushed himself backwards before Leo pierced the water where he once stood. A few moments passed in silence before Leo reemerged from the water.

“What do you say now, Jac?” Leo sniggered.

“I don’t believe it.” Jac said, sounding half impressed. “I should have known that if anyone could defy the laws of nature, it would be you, Leo.” He stared at Leo with admiration. “You know, I think I’m starting to see who the best is.”

The barrage of piercing flaming purple arrows formed around Jac’s body and propelled themselves towards their target. Fortunately enough, Leo’s new ability granted him better maneuverability and was able to dodge the assault with a simple twirl. But Jac took advantage of Leo’s show-off personality and swiped across the hedgehog’s chest with his heel. The unpredicted attack barely hit him, but it gave Leo a better reason not to flaunt his skills against Jac. Deciding not to take chances, Leo formed a Chaos Cyclone into his palm, which Jac carefully noticed.

“You never change.” Jac said, flipping backwards across the waters surface. “You’re always using the same attack.”

“Not this time.” Leo informed. “You didn’t think this was the only trick up my sleeve.”

“What are you...?” Jac started.

But before he could finish, Leo lashed the Chaos Cyclone forward. But how could he release it? Jac knew Leo couldn’t possibly release the Leo Wind from his hand without losing its shape. But he decided against trying to discover the source of the technique and jumped sideways back to the shore. Once he gained a better look, Jac could spy a thin trail of Chaos that connected the Leo Wind to its owner.

“I get it.” Jac nodded impressively. “He used Chaos Energy to keep his connection to his attack. In that form, Leo could use the technique to attack from a distance.”

“That’s the idea!”

Jac turned on his heels towards the direction of the voice...but only discovered an empty space. The moment he turned his back, the dark hedgehog feel forward as an unknown entity swatted at his knees. Without the sense of knowing what was going on, Jac pushed himself up with his palm and kicked at the direction of his attacker. But the dark hedgehog only met with air. Only a second after he was back to his feet, something swiped against his head. This time, he knew where the attack was coming from. A split-moment after the unwarranted hit, Jac twisted around and drived his fist in that direction. He hit something solid. For a fraction of a second, Jac could spot Leo before blending with the environment.

“You’re not only allowed flight, but coverage as well.” Jac stated.

“I had to be totally ready for when I fought someone like you!” Leo echoed across the canyon. “I knew in a straight fight that you would annihilate me! So I needed a way to make things work for me!”

“I must admit, this has put a real hindrance in my plan.” Jac acknowledged. “Too bad it won’t be enough to save you, ONCE I USE MY ULTIMATE LEVEL!”

“Creepy-dark-nexus-guy says what?” Leo exclaimed.

“I expected that you would pull something similar to this.” Jac informed, clasping his palms together. “I expected you to use your speed to you advantage. In preparation to this, I saved my best form for it.”

A red aura surrounded the hedgehog and expanded. For a moment, Leo thought Jac had performed a Nexus Explosion of another color. But this was far different from it. In Jac’s eyes, everything was entirely black from the ground to the sky. But once the aura field touched against the rocks, Jac could visualize them perfectly. And everything that Jac couldn’t see, such as the life forms in the water or beneath the ground, were becoming perfectly clear. And after a moment of patience, Jac found his objective: Leo, but downgraded into Starlight Jac.

“Now you’re mine!!” Jac screamed.

Still caught off guard by Jac’s technique, Leo’s attention was driven away from the hedgehog, not noticing the performance of Nexus Warp. Even after the attack struck, Leo remained completely oblivious as Jac drove his fist square into his chest. Jac’s strength had ultimately increased tenfold in this form as his blow sent Leo drilling across the landscape, through the legs of the first statue, across the waterfall, and stopping at the feet of the second statue. Since Leo’s body was entirely visible, Jac had to guess that his attack was dispelled, and he returned to normal. The performance was one to be proud of, but Jac could barely make out the damage as his vision became distorted.

“Strawberry was right about this technique.” Jac thought. “I have to redirect most of my power to my eyes that it overloads my nervous system. If I had taken the attack any farther, I would be permanently blind.”

“Ooh...did anyone get the license plate off that truck?” Leo asked dazed.

“You’re still awake, are you?” Jac said smugly; his knees ready to give out.

“It’s...gonna take a lot...” Leo moaned as he forced himself to his feet; his chest tightened with every movement. “More than that...to take out the...Blue Blur.”

“Let’s face it, we’re at our limit.” Jac stated. “Both our techniques drained most of our power. The least either of us can do is throw one last punch.”

And the canyon had fallen deathly silent. Not even the calling of the birds or the roars of the waterfall seemed to pierce the ominous shush. Both hedgehogs moved closer the toe shore – the eyes locked dead on one another. Everything both warriors had been battling for came down to this final moment. The second both warriors could once again hear the rushing falls, they leapt over the wide river towards one another. Time seemingly stopped for them – the intensity around them was fierce. Finally, with all their strength, they delivered their final attacks.

Back in the adorning castle, everyone waited with baited breathe for the outcome of the match. Even Hybrid seemed to be enticed by the display of power between them. And to their unexpected surprise, a pair of flashes erupted from the platform. Leo and Jac were lying flat across the machine – both unconscious. While Luna, Strawberry, and Rave rushed forward to help them, everyone stared at Hybrid for the final call. Even Hybrid didn’t seem to know as he checked the machine for their timing. Once the answer was made clear, the host of the castle stood straight and directed the audience’s attention.

Anyone outside the room would have thought an explosion had gone off. The guests were cheering so loudly that it literally shook the room. Many were disappointed that Jac had failed to win – mostly Strawberry – but knew that if anyone deserved to defeat him, it was Leo. Even Rector, who greatly disliked the hedgehog, couldn’t help but feel proud of his success. To make sure the room didn’t collapse on them, Hybrid waved his hand, which effectively silenced them.

“With this, we have our last remaining competitors!” Hybrid announced, waving his hands to the remaining fighters. “Morph the Morpholomew and Leo Journey Speed! The Final Match will take place one week from today! Until then, enjoy your stay.”

With those final words, the guests organized their way out of the cramped room and paced up to the ninth floor. Everyone was carrying Leo and Jac over their heads like a mantle of honor. But while everyone followed the parade to the infirmary, Hybrid trailed his way down the steps with Morph following behind him. But one thing did bother him.

“It’s those hedgehogs.” Hybrid noted. “When everyone was carrying them away, I noticed something unsettling: they were smiling. I mean, how can they smile when they just fought each other with the intention to kill?”

“I battled the Sonic Hero Kids once before.” Morph said knowledgably. “From what I learned, those fifty or more are greater friends than anyone in this castle. To them, this match was just a game they love to play.”

“How can anyone enjoy fighting?” Hybrid grimaced. “It’s the reason this world is so corrupt.”

“And you believe your plan is the only true sanctuary?” Morph questioned seriously. Hybrid turned to him with an astonished expression. “I did hear you talking Imperator Ix and Xi about your plan to take over the world. Do you think violence can only be solved with more violence?”

“You don’t understand the whole process.” Hybrid stated.

“I understand everything Hybrid.” Morph said spitefully. “And I can tell you right now that I will not take any part of it. I’m probably going to just throw my match when it starts.”

“The moment you were born, you were obligated to your duties!” Hybrid exclaimed.

“How can I follow something that contradicts itself!?” Morph screamed. “If you want to create war, you’re no different to the spider that killed…your…mother!”

That last comment struck Hybrid deep in his heart. The mixed hedgehog had long forgotten about his mother’s death and tried to keep his thoughts away from her. Realizing that his words were more hurtful than intended Morph secretly gave a smile. Hybrid continued to bottom of the staircase, leaving Morph behind, and fingered the dented locket that was given to him by Sarah.

The scene returns to the East Island castle four days after the Semifinal Match. Leo and Jac regained consciousness after the second day, but were forced to stay in bed for their bodies twinged at every movement. Rave explained that their bodies had not adapted to their new techniques and left them helpless for regular purposes. Though he had no problem with Luna being his nurse, Leo wished to resume his training, but his girlfriend would not allow it.

“Rave said you can’t leave until your body is healed!” Luna said sternly, pushing Leo back into bed – the hedgehog yelped.

“But I already spent four days in this place.” Leo complained, twitching from overexertion. “Cancer has been training with Morph every day and he says he’s getting better. I need to wok on the Wind Flight if I want to stand a chance against her.”

“Just ignore that and work on getting better.” Luna advised kindly, pulling the blanket over the blue hero. “Rave said you should be all better by tomorrow. Just wait one more day and you can do whatever you want.”

Meanwhile, the scene moves to the landing of the second floor, just above the Entrance Hall. After losing their places in the tournament, Cancer, Kazuki, and Heather became quick friends. On most days, they would spend their time debating over who would win the next match – Cancer frequently turned it into a quick gamble. Today, the subject rested on the upcoming match between Morph and Leo, both who were expected to hold great promise.

“Morph is definitely going to win.” Heather stated. “Leo’s been in bed for most of the week and he’ll probably kill himself with the Wind Flight technique of his.”

“Nah, Leo’s way to strong for that.” Kazuki responded faithfully, hanging over the banister with his tails. “Besides, we’ve only seen Morph go all-out against Metal and she barely came out alive. She only got this far because Cancer surrendered and Mystic dropped out.”

“I’m betting three hundred bucks that Leo wins.” Cancer challenged, holding up his wallet. “Anyone wanna take that bet?”

“NO!!” The others exclaimed.

After a few quiet seconds, the silence between them was broke when an audible smack was heard from the floor above them. Fueled by curiosity, Kazuki flipped forward to the third floor landing while Heather and Cancer were forced to climb their way to the site. The trio arrived just as Star exited the corridor with a repulsive expression. His eyes slanted with unmistakable anger, he proceeded up the stairway. Followed shortly be his depart came an echoing sob from within the corridor. The girls had barely taken two steps in when they discovered the source of the sound. Alexis was on the floor, crying into her hands.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kazuki asked.

“I was trying to talk to Star.” Alexis whimpered, removing her hands, which revealed a flaring red mark on her cheek. “I was hoping that if he talked to me, he could tell me why he was avoiding everyone.”

“What did you say?” Cancer asked sadly.

“I told him that I missed him and how much I loved him.” Alexis sniffed; the girls stared admirably. “But he said he didn’t want to waste time talking about something as pointless as love. He said he needed to help Hybrid.”

“I jumped in front of him and said that he was acting like one of Eggman’s Black Clones.” Alexis said lightly as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I told him that he was stupid by listening to Hybrid. He got mad and hit me before leaving.”

“That filthy brat!” Heather snarled furiously. “When I get my hands on him, I am going to rip his little...!”

“It’s not Star’s fault!” Alexis cried, confusing the trio. “I know Star can get upset sometimes, but he would never hurt anyone on purpose.” She sighed dreamily. “He is a kind and caring creature with a heart brighter than gold.”

“Ok, time to bring it back to reality.” Cancer interjected.

“Aw...” Kazuki whined childishly. “But it was just getting to the best part.”

“I’m just saying that Star isn’t acting right.” Alexis said certainly. “It’s almost as if someone is controlling him, Tech and Eggman.”

“Come to think of it, Tech and Eggman have been acting just as strange, too.” Heather said thoughtfully, stroking her chin. “We all know that Eggman is evil and would never call anyone master. And from what I’ve heard about Tech, he’s too stubborn to work for anyone outside the Sonic Heroes Kids. Something is defiantly up.”

“So what do you think we should do about this?” Cancer asked intriguingly.

“I say we keep a close eye on Star and the others.” Heather explained practically. “If I’m right, we should be able to find out what happened to them and learn what this Hybrid guys is up to.”

The others quickly slapped their hands over the foxxune’s mouth, signaling him to shut up. Checking to make sure no over heard them, Cancer and Kazuki walked towards the Entrance Hall while Heather and Alexis were headed for the Infirmary. But while they remained unaware, an ever-present watcher smirked in satisfaction.

After hours of activity throughout the castle, mostly involving Jet and a runaway Gear, everyone retired to their rooms for a nights rest. Star was making his rounds on the third floor to check that everyone was in their rooms. But when reaching the room that was occupied by Alexis, the psychic hedgehog hesitantly walked inside. Thought his expression was blank, his eyes aimlessly wandered over her peaceful form.

“Alexis...” Star murmured softly.

Without warning, the he grasped his forehead as if struck by an electric shock. For a brief moment, Star looked ready to collapse before retaining his emotionless persona. Star walked through the door and snapped it shut without taking a glance backwards. But not a second passed between them before Alexis’s eyes shot open with anxiety. Alexis softly jumped out of bed, fully clothed, and silently moved into the corridor without waking her roommate. The young hedgehog followed Star out to the landing, where she watched him motion slowly down the stairs.

“See anything yet!” Kazuki exclaimed

“Yike!!” Alexis exclaimed surprisingly before Cancer and Heather slapped their hands over her mouth. “Please, don’t do that again. That scared me.”

“I would suggest it either way.” Heather advised sharply. “With the halls empty, we can’t afford to make a sound. Otherwise, the chances of our exposure will be expanded.”

“Yeah...” Cancer said dully. “While we’re on the subject, I would like to point out that we have totally lost our target.”

”What?!” Heather yelled silently. She looked around and corner and Star was nowhere to be seen. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

“Now what do we do?” Alexis asked.

“You ladies need a hand.” A smug, yet familiar, voice sounded.

Turning their heads in every direction, the group of females were unable to trace to sound emitting from the corridor. Alexis could distinctly hear a sound that resembled the ruffling of feathers. At first, the rabbit had suspected Jet to be the watcher, but her theory proved wrong when a shadow dropped in the center the group. Heather prepared a lightning arrow in response.

“Whoa, chill.” Cannon waved hurriedly. “It’s only me.”

“Thank Eclipse.” Cancer sighed in relief. “For a minute, I thought you were a threat.”

“I’m going to ignore that.” Cannon replied simply.

“What are you doing here?!” Heather snapped impatiently.

“I overheard you guys talking about following the psychic freak.” Cannon said playfully; Kazuki used his tails to hold back Alexis’s rage. “It wasn’t really that hard considering how loud the hedgehog guy was.” Now it was Alexis’s turn to hold back Kazuki. “But I thought that I might be of some help you.”

“And what would you get out of it?” Cancer said, secretly trying to reach into Cannon’s head feathers.

“First off, I’m a master thief, so don’t even try it.” Cannon said conniving, slapping the crab’s hand back. “Second, I’m just as interested as you to found out what’s going on. I might not like the Solar Scum, but I have to feel sorry for Hawk. I know how it would feel to lose somebody close to you.”

“And why should we trust you?” Kazuki said suspiciously. “You’re not the same as the Babylon Rogues that we know. How do we know you won’t just turn us in?”

“I won’t deny that the Lunar Tribe have different morals than the Solar Tribe.” Cannon said appraisingly. “But all Rogues follow the same code: don’t take a job that works against you. Since you’re all out of the tournament and I’m not even in it, there’s nothing they can punish us with if we get caught.”

“Well...” Heather said unsurely.

“And I know where Star and the others go after dark.” Cannon added coyly; he knew he had won.

“Deal!” Alexis said in a final tone.

“Now that we’re all settled up, let’s play a game of follow the leader.” Cannon said playfully.

With a jolt of laughter from the falcon, Cannon belligerently raced past Alexis and hurdled over the banister of the stairway. The group gasped and hurried towards the railing, knowing Cannon couldn’t fly without Extreme Gear. Being the only one that could fly, Alexis jumped over, with a little help from Cancer, and dived after him. In mere moments, Alexis shot past nine levels of the castle with not a trace of the falcon. But when she reached the sixth basement floor, Alexis spotted Cannon leaning against the door on the right-hand side. Alexis hovered over to the falcon before landing.

“How did you get over here?” Alexis asked curiously.

“Uh, hello...” Cannon said mockingly, pointing to the opal on his forehead. “Gravity gem, remember?”

“Wow, that was smart.” Alexis said politely. But her thoughts betrayed her. “If you have a death wish!”

They were shortly followed by Kazuki, who carried Cancer and Heather. Heather stepped up to Cannon and kicked him in his most prized region, forcing him to double over.

“Don’t you ever scare us like that again!” Heather screamed shrilly.

“Ye-yes, ma’am.” Cannon whimpered cowardly. The falcon remained in his position for a few more second before he could stand properly. “At the risk if being it again, I would like to vouch that we have reached Star’s hiding place.”

“The basement floors.” Cancer said cautiously. “Hybrid said we were allowed down here, but I was always too afraid to go anywhere lower than the first floor.”

“I don’t think anyone has been lower than the Entrance Hall.” Heather stated logically. “Mathias (Finally said his name right) told me that Hybrid doesn’t willingly allow the guests this far below the castle. It’s the perfect place for hiding secrets.

“If we’re going to do this right, we need to be extra careful.” Cannon said warningly.

“Hey, it’s dark in here!” Kazuki screamed frantically.

Looking between their ranks, they noted the disappearance of a certain foxxune. Looking between the closed door and dusty imprint left behind by the foxxune’s feet, it didn’t take must logic to know what had happened. With a grudged sigh, Cannon strode over to the door and forcefully slung it open. The group spotted Kazuki on the floor, holding himself in a fetal position. But once the team stepped into the deathly-dark room, Kazuki swiftly jumped to his feet in alarm.

“Don’t close the...” Kazuki screamed as the door snapped shut, enveloping them in darkness. “...Door. Great, now we’re all stuck in here. The door locks automatically.”

“And this is the beauty of having a master thief on the team.” Cannon said snidely in the darkness. “I’ll just pick the lock and we’re home free.”

“AHH! That’s not the door!” Cancer screamed as the falcon stabbed his chest. In retaliation, he slapped him across the face. “That’ll learn ya!”

The sound was formed from not one, but three well-known voices. The darkness was swiftly dropped while a field of lights erupted from the unseen ceiling. The shock of the experience blinded the group for a short period of time before they were able to recall their bearings. Once the room came into view, the unusual team of heroes managed a clear understanding of what made the basement floors avoidable. There were two platforms, one on each end of the room. And in between the two pieces of land was a fifty-foot long pool with an uncertain depth. Star, Tech, and Eggman stood on the other end of the pool, all three with emotionless faces.

“Uh...how long have you been standing there?” Heather asked nervously.

“Long enough.” The trio said simultaneously. “We know you plan to interfere with our master’s ambition. Such an act of defiance cannot go unpunished.”

“All we want is to know what’s wrong, Star.” Alexis said pleadingly. “Please, let me help you. You know how much I love you.”

“One such as you is too young to understand the concept of love.” Star said monotonously. “You pretend yourself by believing you could learn such an expression. But in the end, you are just a ridiculous girl with a hopeless dream.”

“Ok, that’s going a bit far.” Kazuki commented.

“She must learn to grow up and face reality.” Star said indifferently.

“Enough of this talk.” Eggman commanded with authority. “The master grows impatient with your constant meddling and has decided your punishment.” The team, with the exception of Cannon, held fearful expressions. “It is nothing to fear. You will not perish.”

“As punishment, you will be sentenced to face the Leviathan.” Tech finished.

“The wha?” Cannon asked dumbstruck.

Taken by complete surprise, Cannon and Alexis were pulled into the water by a dual band of scaly green tendrils. After shaking away the shock, Cancer reacted by diving into the pool after them, due to his affinity with water. Heather put an arrow on her bow as Kazuki crouched close to the ground for anything that might attack. For several breathtaking moments, a scale of eerie silence filled the room, only broken by the occasional air bubbles from the pool. As the culmination of bubbles reached its greatest, the flood exploded as a massive beast arose. It was a massive green reptile that resembled much of a dragon, but with two tendrils forming from the corners of its mouth. Those tendrils restrained Cannon and Alexis while Cancer tried to hold his balance on the beast’s head.

“Guys, a little help here!” Cancer screamed.

“I’m coming, Cancer!” Kazuki announced. Kazuki double flipped into the air and shot his foot between the Leviathan’s eyes. Unfortunately, this did nothing but send a wave of pain through his spine. “Probably not my best idea.”

“Some help you were!” Cannon exclaimed as Kazuki dropped into the water.

The hedgehog did not respond, but his eye twitched in an unfashionable manner. Meanwhile, the Leviathan released a gurgling roar while its tendrils snapped its prey back and forth; Cannon was beginning to look like Jet. Taking a well place flame arrow, Heather released the string and speared through the beast’s left tendril. With the Leviathan’s hold vanished, Cannon touched the opal on his forehead and form a spiral of black particles beneath him.

“Coming at ya!” Cannon jeered. “GRAVITY DIVE!!”

Once passing through the dark vortex, Cannon’s speed accelerated to an ungodly limit. Time was frozen in his presence and the orange falcon streaked across the tide and scorched past the Leviathan’s second tendril. The aquatic beast screeched in pure agony with the destruction of its remaining limb. Alexis dropped unceremoniously into the water, shortly followed by Cancer, who pulled her to safety. The Leviathan, it’s nostrils flared and eyes slitted, raised one of its fearsome claws from the water and drove it at the platform before it. Heather couldn’t move back because the door was locked, but she couldn’t go forward incase her ice arrows touched the water.

“Why didn’t I just stay in bed?” Heather moaned.

“Whoa there, Nelly!” Cancer shouted. He formed a lasso of water, which restrained the Leviathan’s hand for a few choice moments. Straining to keep the hold, Cancer called to the others. “I can’t hold him forever, you know.”

Flipping out from the water, Kazuki rebounded out of the water and aimed another kick for the aquatic reptile. But this time, her aim was true. His heel stabbed into the monster’s eye and called forth a stream of crimson blood from its socket. Though the beast was half-blind, the unsolicited number of attacks seemed to infuriate the beast to a certain extent. With a quick lap of its head, the beast forced a wave of water to wash of the entire group. Cancer, Cannon, and Kazuki were thrown to the platform with Heather for a moment reprieve. Unfortunately, the water splashed over them and seeped into Heather’s quiver and touched one of the ice arrows, freezing everyone in their place. Satisfied by its work, the Leviathan scooped up Alexis with its scaled claw and slammed her into the wall. The young hedgehog was barely able to remain awake as the beast’s teeth drew closer.

“Star...” Alexis whispered pleadingly

“Alexis?” Star questioned confused. He shook his head free from any control over his mind and took in the sight before him. “What the? Where am I? Last thing I remember is heading for the East Island and...”

“Star...” Alexis murmured feebly. “I’m so happy...that you are all right.”

And then the world drew dark before the hedgehog’s eyes.

“Alexis!” Star cried fearfully. Without realizing it, a snarl emerged from the back of his throat; his voice became rasped with hatred. “You have hurt Alexis! I’m going to kill you!!”

A flow of visible red psychic energy escaped from his body, which appeared to hold an effect over his companions. Tech and Eggman held their heads in boundless pain before dropping to the floor. The Leviathan was distracted from its prey as the ebb of the energy rippled the waters around them.

“Let her go!” Star snarled warningly. “Or I will remove your head from your body!”

But the reptilian beast made no acknowledgement of Star’s statement and resumed its advances on the young girl. This proved to be its final mistake. In the next moment, Star completely vanished from sight, leaving only a white blur trailing towards the Leviathan. In the next instant, Star remained true to his word and psychokinesis crushed through the reptile’s neckline and severed the length from its body. As the gigantic corpse plummeted to the bottom of the pool, Star instinctively reached for Alexis before she touched the water and raced back to the platform. Once laying her gently on the floor, Star’s aura evaporated, forcing him to resume his natural state. The psychic hedgehog dropped next to Alexis, but managed to stay awake long enough as Alexis awoke from her sleep and stared back at him.

The scene shifts to the thirteenth floor in the meeting chamber of the castle lords. Xi sat at his throne, staring at the seat that had once belonged to Ix before his banishment. The masked imperator remained seated in the throng of throne, gripping his scepter with defined impatience. This virtue was greatly quenched as Hybrid walked through the disguised doorway and took his throne across from Xi.

“I had the Solaris place the intruders in their rooms.” Hybrid stated in relief. “When they wake up tomorrow, everything will seem like a dream to them.”

“We just barely managed to avoid suspicion tonight.” Xi said spitefully. “But it came at a cost. Due to that child’s unexplained powers, he was able to remove the control I held over of three former servants.”

“Not to worry, I took the necessary precautions.” Xi proclaimed easily. “When performing the technique, I took steps to make sure they wouldn’t remember everything if they broke free. They still believe they came for your science fair.”

“And all it cost me was my Basilisk and Leviathan.” Hybrid said mournfully. “I put a lot of hard work, though their existence was already proved I took a lot of work taming them. And now they have to kill them.”

“You still have your Griffon.” Xi informed. “And besides that, we still have an opportune moment to initiate our plan.”

“Not one that we would hope for.” Hybrid grimaced. “Morph has...delicately informed me that he wishes not to take part in our plans and that he may just throw his match.”

“That ungrateful Morpholomew!” Xi growled furiously. “I raised him since he left Nocturnus and he dares to defy me!”

“What do you plan on doing with him?” Hybrid asked apprehensively. He feared for his only friend.

“If he fails to kill Heather...” Xi said lowly. “He will be punished severally.”

The scene returns to the East Island castle on the fifth day of the tournament reprieve. The air was thick with wild rumors and unmanageable guesses over the outcome of the Final Match. The babble was only broken when Star, Tech, and Eggman joined the guests at breakfast, but did not serve them. They were bombarded with questions at first, but subsided when Alexis and Jet shooed everyone away – Harmony commented Eggman with a fat joke. Leo, after being released from the infirmary, was aimed straight for the training room with Luna at his side.

“So, what are you going to do for the big match?” Luna asked.

“Not really much to go on.” Leo said nonchalantly. “Cancer wouldn’t tell me what Morph could do. So I just memorized all his moves from the fights against Knuckles and Metal.”

“You should really be careful about Morph.” Luna advised sternly. “That warlock is up to something. I can feel it. How else could he beat Metal or not ask why Star and the others were missing.”

“If I was talking to Ryan I would say you’re just mad because you’re sister’s hitting on him.” Leo joked.

Leo charged down the corridor at blinding speed with Luna following close behind. After racing in and out at random rooms, Leo skidded to a halt in front of the usual training room. Only today, it was being safely guarded by Talon (Metal Jet) and Esp (Metal Espio).

“Hey, guys, whatcha doing?” Leo asked playfully

“Making sure no one interrupts Metal during his training.” Talon stated.

“But I thought he was out of the running.” Leo said.

“It is not for Metal Leo, but for his ‘son’.” Esp explained. “Metal feels that times are become hazardous for the Squadron, especially for Space. With the sudden loss of power and the many near-fatal accidents occurring, we are doing what we can to prepare for the next occasion.”

“Yeah, that’s nice.” Leo waved in a bored fashion. “But right now, I really need to get inside and practice for my match.”

“Not a chance, rat.” Talon said enticingly, pushing the blue hedgehog backwards. “The only thing that can get you in is some freak accident knocks our heads off and throw them down the stairs.”

“FOUR!!” Heather echoed across the corridor.

Almost out of instinct, Leo swiftly dropped on all fours as Heather’s arrow swung overhead. And by the fate of cruel irony, her arrow knocked Talon and Esp’s head clean off their shoulders. The bodies of the robotic pair dropped to the floor with a dull thud as their heads stumbled down the stairs – Esp muttered a string of curses. Silently thanking her, Leo stepped into the training room without notice.

Interested by Knux’s reaction, Leo turned his attention to the center of the room. Space stood in the open – his body battered and scarred – while holding his left arm, which was burned black. Metal Leo stood across from his son with his hands radiating from the force of his Metal Surge. Meanwhile, Amelia (Metal Amy) stood on the sidelines with a look of desperation and concern in his expression.

“Is that the best you can do?” Metal said mockingly, raising his sparking hand. “Try again. And this time, focus your energy to a single point of your palm and release it as a whole.”

“Metal, maybe he should take a break.” Amelia suggested worried.

“Yeah, dad...” Space moaned hopefully. “I’ve been trying to master the Metal Surge all day. Maybe we can continue tomorrow when I am...”

“We will do this now!!” Metal yelled raging; Space flinched at his father’s tone. “Amelia, he is not a child anymore. If he is to survive the circumstances, he must be fully prepared.” He turned to Space. “Now try again.”

With a heavy sigh, Space bent his knees low and gripped his left arm with a long groan. With a look of concentration of his faceless expression, Space began to draw on whatever reserve energy he had left his frail body. In a matter of seconds, Space began to draw a surge of electricity into his left hand, which, Leo noticed, was extensively smaller than Metal. Almost immediately, Metal charged ahead with his own Metal Surge and collided with Space’s palm. The results were as expected. Space was unable to withstand his father’s attack and was send flying towards the wall. Space slumped longingly to the floor while Amelia rushed to his side.

“Metal, this has gone on long enough!” Amelia stated firmly. “Our son is tired and his circuits are shortening out! If you continue this torture, there won’t be anything left of him to repair!”

“She has a point, boss.” Knux nodded. “Space’s just a kid in our standards.”

“But he won’t remain a child forever.” Mecha said loudly. “Metal has good reason to push his son beyond the limits. If he is expected to grow and take our place in the future, we must not smother him like a spoiled brat.”

“But Space is...” Amelia started.

“Mecha is right.” Metal said shortly. His tone wasn’t loud or forcefully, but it made his point visible. “Space cannot be treated like a little child forever. He needs to learn these lessons.” He gripped his right arm, preparing for another strike. “Now let us try again.”

“Man, Metal’s really worked up about this.” Leo commented.

“He has his reasons.” Mecha stated indifferent. “There’s more going on in this castle than you realize.”

“What are you...?” Leo began to ask.

“LEO!!”

The familiar screech of his girlfriend shot the hedgehog into a panic. Leo was slightly glad that his girlfriend tackled him from behind. The commotion the two hedgehogs created was enough to draw Metal’s eyes away from his weakened son. This was the moment he was searching for. Using the data he scanned from Blue, Space deformed into a puddle of silver liquid and slipped through the cracks in the wall behind him. Once he reformed on the other side, Space dropped to the floor, craning his head backwards in relief.

“Oh...my servos are shot.” Space murmured painfully. “I don’t get what’s up with my dad. He seems more tense than usual.”

“That guy always did have me worried.” A gruff voice echoed. “Maybe he’s going senile in his old age.”

Judging by the sound of their voices, they were close to his position. Space swiftly jumped to his feet with his arms raised for protection, despite the fact that he could not see a thing in the dark corridor. Several moments passed in restless silence – Space looked back and forth with heavy anxiety. But while he wasn’t looking, two colored blurs passed by without the young mech noticing. Once the moment came that Space lowered his guard only slightly, the blur thrashed into the mech and slammed him into the wall. They pinned his arms behind his back for reassurance.

“Let – me – go!” Space grunted.

“Not until you listen to us.” The soft voice said eagerly.

“We have a lot to tell you.” The gruff voice stated smugly.

“How can I talk to you if I can’t even see you?”

“Already taken care of.” The duo answered simultaneously.

With that note, a series of lights flashed down the corridor at a rate that would blind a normal person. Once his opponents came into focus, Space’s electronic eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Space’s capturers look so much like him that he thought he was staring into a mirror. The one holding his left arm had Orange armor similar to Space, but with a dual-point plate in place of the crescent moon on his head. The one holding his left held sea-green armor with an emerald fin mantel jutting from the pinnacle of his head. Space looked ready to lose his mind.

“Who are you?” Space asked softly.

“My name is Ithaca.” The orange mech, Ithaca, answered.

“The name’s Aeolia.” The green mech, Aeolia, introduced.

“Why do you look like me?” Space asked confused.

“I thought it would have been obvious, brother.” Ithaca said smoothly.

“Brother?!” Space exclaimed. “What are you talking about? My father and mother haven’t created any robots other than myself.”

“Wow, he’s really lost it.” Aeolia sniggered amusingly, turning his head to his counterpart. “I think it would do us some justice if we told the kid the truth.”

“I agree wholly, brother.” Ithaca nodded. Together, he and Aeolia released Space and dropped him to the floor. “First, before I explain everything, you need to learn the complete history of our kind.”

]The scene arrives to a barren desert from any sign of life or hospitable conditions. Staring across from one another was two armies of warriors, all of them echidnas. On one side, the echidnas were covered from head-to-toe in tribal black markings and possessed spiked ridges on their knuckles. This fraction of the echidnas was lead by Pachacamac. One the other side, the echidnas wore red armor that covered their entire bodies and helmets with neon markings. This fraction of the fighters was led by Xi.

“Four thousand years ago, a war was fought between two tribes: Knuckles and Solaris.” Aeolia narrated. “Both opposing fractions sought to control the land and claim it as there own. The Solaris had the advantage...until..."

The Solaris soldiers advanced on their primitive relatives with a war cry of victory. The Knuckles Tribe remained unmoving – all of them hung their heads with their eyes closed. Once their rivals were halfway through the desert, the Knuckles Tribes shot their heads up and snapped their eyes wide open. They had changed from their normal appearance to a demonic orange with six slits surrounding the center slit. A moment later, a mass of soldiers dropped.

“The Knuckles Tribe discovered the ability called the Solagan.” Aeolia continued. “From that point, Xi could no longer risk confronting the Knuckles Tribe alone. That is why he created us: The Zigoids. And you were the first of these byproducts...Space.”

The finished Space could be seen standing amongst the ranks of Solaris soldiers and advancing towards the rivaling echidnas. The mech remained unaffected by the Knuckles Tribe and their Solagan, rendering them defenseless.

“But that’s impossible.” Space proclaimed as Aeolia finished. “My mother and father created me from scratch. If I was four thousand years old, then how come I don’t remember any of this?”

“Shortly after you were made, The Knuckles Tribe was attacked by Chaos.” Ithaca stated maliciously. “And at the same time, The Solaris Tribe was forced into a dimension known as the Sol Cage before we were taken into the Twilight Cage by the one called Argus the same being who brought us into the Sol cage. You were the only one who wasn’t dragged into it.”

“Xi believes that the damage created from the encounter wiped out your memory.” Aeolia added.

“Wait a minute.” Space said thoughtfully. “If the Solaris Tribe existed four thousand years ago, then there shouldn’t be many left.”

“Time works differently in the Twilight cage.” Aeolia informed. “20 Years in this world are equivalent to a month in the Twilight Cage. A majority of the race is still alive.”

“Ah, enough talking!” Ithaca exclaimed impatiently. “It’s obvious that he’s not going to join us. Xi did say that we could destroy him if he turned us down. So, let’s just get to the point.”

“You shouldn’t be so quick to judge, Ithaca.” Aeolia said nonchalantly. “He is our brother and, therefore, he must be given an opportunity before we decide his fate.”

“But the voice did not belong to Aeolia – it was too deep and vibrant. By the time both Gizoids had the opportunity to figure this out, a pair of metallic fists collided with their heads, sending them tumbling backwards. With his restraints gone, Space dropped to his knees in an attempt to conserve energy. The young mech stared up to his savior and found his father in a position known for serious fighting.

“Father...” Space whispered.

“Space, you are in great trouble for leaving training.” Metal said sternly. “This is exactly the kind of thing I was try to prepare you for.”

“He has a point thought.” Aeolia said thoughtfully, brushing his armor. “But though Space was once considered the greatest of the Gizoids, we hold more power than even he could dream of.”

“Then you won’t mind proving it to me.” Metal challenged.

Acting without thinking – Metal expected that – Ithaca dashed ahead towards the metallic doppelganger. Metal seemed prepared for the mech’s tactics until he noticed a wave of sparks emitting around his body. With that, Metal sidestepped just in time to avoid a raging fireball from attack his side. The orange Gizoid had the ability over fire. Once the barrier dropped from Ithaca, Metal used his enhanced speed to appear next to the Gizoid and grasp his head before slamming him to the wall. The blue machine jumped backward in time before Ithaca ignited his flames again. Once the fire had died down, Ithaca was faced with his opponent with an irritable look on his expression.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Ithaca seethed.

“And you should have paid more attention to battle tactics. “Metal replied snidely. “A true warrior must first observe his opponents and his surrounding before charging head forward into battle.”

“But you must also remember quantity advantage.” Metal looked back to Aeolia, whose hands were surrounded in avoid of liquid. The green Gizoid controlled water. “Even with experience, two against one is not very favorable odds.”

“That proves you are the smart one.” Metal chuckled.

“Hey!!” Ithaca snapped.

A moment passed between them before Aeolia released a tidal of water from his hands, flooding the corridor in water. Metal made a quick grab for Space and jumped the ceiling, planting his remaining claw into the stone. Ithaca could be heard cursing his partner from beneath the water before the corridor drained itself, leaving only a multitude of puddles. While Metal dropped back to the ground, he was quick to discover Aeolia’s reason for his unorthodox technique. Space seemed to catch on a moment later.

“They know the Metal Surge draws from the energy in your body.” Space noted to his father. “Activating any sort of spark in this place would damage your circuits.”

“These two have studied century’s worth of battle formations.” Metal murmured, setting his son back on the floor. “But I have survived many a battle without the use of my electrical force. This battle will be no different.”

“Father, let me help you.” Space pleaded.

“No!” Metal snapped firmly. “I will not risk your safety.”

Space wanted to argue, but the metallic copy had already shot ahead for Aeolia. It appears that the Gizoids all shared the same ability to scan and copy enemy moves after first seeing them. Aeolia swiftly dodged Metal’s strikes with beautiful elegance that could rival Morph’s standards. Metal attempt a quick shot to the head by swinging his foot, but the blue Gizoid was able to block the attack with his forearm. Metal was proving to be at a disadvantage. And to make matters worse, Ithaca had recovered from his momentary rest – his hands ablaze. The simulations attacks from both Gizoids forced Metal into several odd angles just to escape with minimal scratches. But the metallic copy was growing weak.

“I can’t keep this going for much longer.” Metal thought tiredly. “My strength is depleted from the extensive use of the Metal Surge. It’s only a matter of time before they catch me.”

“Stand still!” Ithaca demanded as his fist missed Metal’s left leg.

“This is becoming annoying.” Aeolia commented impatiently.

Due to the frustration of Metal’s maneuvers, Aeolia cut off from his confrontation and released a heavy flow of water from his palms. This time, Ithaca jumped away, but Metal was caught in the middle of the torrent. The water jet sent Metal colliding with the wall, leaving a heavy imprint in the stone before the water cut off. Metal slumped dully to the floor, holding his chest, which was releasing sparks from damage. Aeolia and Ithaca chuckled in amusement as they surrounded the robot like birds of prey. Ithaca kicked Metal to the floor.

“Hah! You thought you could stand a chance against us!” Ithaca shouted victorious. “We are undeniably the most powerful Zigoids in the universe! Much than that pathetic prototype.”

At this point, Space was left without an alternative approach. He knew his power was nothing compared to the twins and their control over the elements. And aside from his weakness, Space was still weak and tired from training with Metal. But Space couldn’t stand seeing his father face defeat at the hands of twin fakes. He’d want to do something – anything – to save his father. When Space refused to provide an answer to their question, they brushed him off and returned to their prize. But at the moment Ithaca took another swing at Metal’s crippled form, something in Space’s mind snapped.

“THAT’S IT!!” Space screamed with unbridled rage. Instinctively, Space grasped his left arm and began to push every ounce of energy he had into his palm. To everyone’s surprise, especially Metal, Space formed a perfect copy of his father’s signature attack. “SPACE SURGE!!”

“I thought you said he couldn’t do that!” Ithaca screamed frighteningly.

“He’s not supposed to.” Aeolia muttered weakly.

“RAH!!!” Space yelled.

Though the attack was foreseen, Aeolia and Ithaca did nothing as Space scaled down the corridor with his hand cutting through the wall – They were caught in permanent shock. Ithaca was first to suffer the damage as Space’s electrified hand stabbed his torso. Aeolia was followed shortly by his partner when Space’s hands struck his head. With both mechs defeated and Space satisfied, the young mech swiftly shut down as his reserves were drained full. Just before he fell, Metal captured his son and lifted him into his arms.

“You did better than I thought, Space.” Metal thought proudly. “I guess from after this, we both deserve a little rest. Sleep well, Space...my warrior son.”

The scene shifts to the highest reaches of the castle, just below the deck to the roof top. Morph was exiting a nearby corridor, carrying a drenched towel over his shoulders.

“Maybe asking Cancer to train me was a bad idea.” Morph groaned; he was limping on his left leg. “Now I see why the Crab Tribe was so revered during its time. Those guys can do a number on a person without weapons.”

“Maybe you should have asked me to be your partner.” Morph slipped off the steps at the sudden intrusion of the voice. Fortunately, he was saved from a terrible fall as Heather pulled him safely back to his feet. “Whoa, you oughta be more careful.”

“I wouldn’t have to be careful if you didn’t stalk me all the time.” Morph said curtly, taking back his arm.

“Stalk you?” Heather repeated playfully. “Now I find that offensive.”

“What do you want?” Morph questioned.

“I was just wondering if a morpholomew would like to assist me on a moonlight stroll.” Heather said. “After all you did promise me a date, remember?”

“I never promised anything.” Morph said firmly.

“Oh, come on.” Heather whined. “I’m trying my best to understand you, but you keep making it difficult. Just give me one chance and if you don’t like it, I’ll leave you alone forever.”

“Well...” Morph said considerably. He looked back and forth between his feet and Heather’s pleading expression before releasing a heavy sigh. “All right, one date. Tomorrow night on the beach.”

The scene opens to East Island on the sixth night before the Final Match. After their confrontation with Space’s siblings, Metal and his son made no attempt to inform everyone else. If anything, they wanted to keep this piece of information for themselves. The air of anxiety sharply returned from the moment the sun rose from the horizon. Everyone was debating on who would win and Cancer was hosting a gambling pool; Gemini was eager to sign up. During this time, Leo and Morph spent every waking moment practicing until they were too tired to lift a finger.

“Keep your hands up, Luna.” Rector instructed.

“I know what I’m doing!” Luna snapped.

On the rare moments that Leo left the training room, Rector spent the time teaching Luna fighting upon her request. The hedgehog and his sister were practicing on a sandbag at the far end of the training room with Rector pushing against the target. Luna certainly had the necessary power, most likely from her abnormal strength, but lacked the proper technique and form. Luna was jabbing her fists into the sandbag with unusual aggression, nearly forcing Rector to the wall.

“It’s useless if you’re just punching it.” Heather grunted as the sandbag absorbed another blow. “Remember what I told you: focus your strength into one point and release it on contact. It usually helps when you think about something you hate.”

The red hedgehog slammed her fist into the sandbag with unsurpassed rage and tore through the leather casing. The impact of the shot pounded against Rector’s waist, just barely above his prized possessions. The blow forced Rector to double over, wheezing, as Luna pulled her hand out of the bag; the sand poured out after her.

The scene shifts an hour later to the coast surrounding the island. As the calmly waves lapped against the sandy beach, Morph stood unnerved with his attention focused out to the water. Instead of what rags he regularly wore, Morph decided to take up a new look for the occasion. He wore grey pants with red glowing marks, a black T-shirt with green glowing marks, and a silver pendent with a blue neon symbol around his neck. He still wore his boots, his warp circlets, and Solaris headband. And though they were out of sight, Morph had his Leech Blades stored in his circlets in case he would need them.

‘If she’s smart, she won’t show up.’ Morph thought coldly. ‘Because if she does, I will be forced to carry out my orders.’

“It’s not that I didn’t have any faith in you, Morph.” Hybrid answered. “But I knew Metal was way too powerful for you to defeat. To even the playfield, I severely cut Metal’s power in half when I transported you. I needed to collect enough information on him.” He cast a serious look at the Morpholomew. “Now there is the matter with you.”

“What about me?” Morph asked.

“Xi feels that you are slowly converting to the enemy’s side.” Hybrid stated. “To test your loyalty, he has given you a simple mission.”

“I can’t understand why Imperator Xi does not trust me.” Morph thought viciously. “Have I not proven my loyalty to him and the Solaris tribe? Though I don’t wish to join in their plans for domination, I will not stop them from succeeding. Xi has treated me like a son and is the only family I have known.” Suddenly, the memory of Heather during the dance appeared; his cheeks turned red. “But, that hedgehog has proven to be something unexpected. Maybe she...”

“Hello.” Heather said happily.

“Aah!” Morph jumped at Heather’s sudden appearance. He slapped her shoulder when she was laughing. “That wasn’t funny!”

“It depends on a matter of perspective.” Heather chuckled.

“I...guess that is true.” Morph said admittedly. Surprising even himself, Morph giggled, which Heather seemed to enjoy.

“Oh, so you do laugh?” Heather said jokingly. “You know, you look kinda cool when you laugh.”

“You – you’re just saying that.” Morph said flustered; he was beginning to look like Mach.

“No, I really mean it.” Heather grinned honestly. “You should do it more often. Hearing your voice kinda reminds me of the times I spent in the fields with...”

And then she went deathly silent. Morph, trained for such occasions, could read a person’s thoughts just by their expressions. The glazed look in her eyes easily showed her feelings of regret or sadness. But while he would attempt to figure out her meaning, he noticed that her hand was shaking in a vulnerable manner. She had mixed emotions that Morph could not understand.

“I remind you of who?” Morph asked quietly.

“My best friend...” Heather replied with barely a whisper.

“That’s so sad.” Morph said lightly, turning his gaze to the water. “Of course, I wouldn’t know the feeling of losing a parent or friend.”

“You’re mother or father around here?” Heather asked curiously.

“If they are, I don’t know.” Morph muttered lowly so that only Heather could hear him. “My entire life, the only person I had known personally was my master and my teacher. Terra taught me everything about what it means to be a member of the Solaris Tribe and our ways of combat. And Imperator Xi treated me like a son unlike Ix from the ungrateful Nocturnus tribe, allowing me to attend his meets and dine at his table. Some of my people would go as far as to call me the Prince of Solaris.”

“Must be nice.” Heather commented.

“It has its values.” Morph said. “But I do wish that I could know who my parents are.”

“Maybe I could help you with that.” Heather offered.

“It would be a fruitless search.” Morph stated. “I have asked everyone in the tribe about my parents and no one has heard of them. It is most likely that they were one of the few that didn’t reach the Twilight Cage.”

“And when did your tribe disappear into the Twilight Cage?” Heather questioned deductively.

“Two thousand years ago.” Morph answered nonchalantly.

“That means you’re over two thousand years that old!” Heather yelled pointedly.

“Nice observation.” Morph smirked

“Well, I always did like older men.” Heather laughed.

Morph couldn’t hold it any longer; he laughed along side the hedgehog. As the moments flew by, there was nothing but the lapping waves and their radiant laughter. To Morph, it felt like he had been reborn. This happiness that swelled inside of him was something that he had never experienced before. But his joy was swiftly punctured when he heard the soft clinking metal of his circlet. There laughter stopped as the two stared out the ocean, lost in the abyss of eternal blue. Sadly, Morph knew it was too good to last as he slowly gripped the circlet.

“Have you ever fallen in love?” Heather asked suddenly.

“What?” Morph replied shockingly.

“Have you ever experienced what it means to be in love?” Heather repeated.

“I...I don’t really know.” Morph answered uncertainly. “I’ve spent so much time training for battle, that I was forced to suppress my emotions. I cannot understand the meaning of emotions such as love.”

“But apparently Ryan does.” Heather joked, looking very unhappy at the thought. “I never really experienced it myself, but Ryan has gone into great detail to explain it.”

“And what does he say?” Morph asked, enhancing his grip.

“A lot of it sounded gibberish to me.” Heather chuckled before shifting his gaze to the Morpholomew. “But there were bits I was able to understand. Ryan said that when you know that person is the one your heart wants, you lose yourself in the feeling.”

As if by magic, Morph could understand what she was talking about. His black eyes crossed glances with Heather’s shimmering jade eye and found himself unable to look away. The sound of the waves crashing had vanished without a trace, leaving only Morph and Heather left under the pale glare of the moon. Without knowing or meaning to, Morph leaned his head closer to the hedgehog; Heather followed quietly. And in a matter of seconds, the gap closed between them. Morph’s heart was hammering against his ribs at an impossible rate. With just this one kiss, Morph knew his choice had been made.

“I’m sorry.” Morph said. “I hope one day you will forgive me.”

Before Heather could ask what he was talking about, Morph turned into a frog and leaped over the rocks and made his way back to the castle.

The scene alters to the corridors of the thirteenth floor. Morph, who jumped from each stairway without talking to anyone, raced down the Star hall with his Leech Blades held forward. The Solaris soldiers who patrolled the corridor seemed to understand his intentions and drew their own weapons. However, Morph proved to be more than a match for them and knocked out the entire blockade with a single swipe in the form of a Gorilla. The determined Morpholomew dashed to the black door meeting chamber and phased through the illusion. When Morph looked up, he found herself standing in the presence of Imperator Xi, who did not seem surprised by his appearance.

“Have you made your choice?” Xi questioned coldly.

“I have.” Morph nodded. “And I can no longer serve you, Xi under the name of the Morpholomews.”

“You have always remained loyal to me, child.” Xi stated. “You have followed your orders to the letter and have killed all that stood in my way without hesitation. What could turn you so easily?”

“I have served you because I thought you were a savior.” Morph stated darkly. “I believed in you, thought you were the one who would save our people from an eternity of imprisonment.”

“And I am.” Xi interjected. “With Hybrid’s assistance and Ix’s knowledge of dimensional vortex, we were able to create the warp belts that keep us bound to this world. I have returned hope to all the people who have lost it.”

“At the expense of the others thriving in this world. You’re worse than the Nocturnus.” Morph retorted.

“Sacrifices must be made.” Xi said malevolently. “As Hybrid explained, the abominations that walk through this world know only how to destroy it. They do not appreciate the lives they are given and tae pleasure of depriving other of these same privileges. They must be taught control and restraint.”

In a blinding flash, Morph dashed forward and swiped his blade close to Xi’s head. Unfortunately, Xi’s helmet protected him from the assault and allowed him to counteract with his scepter. Morph morphed his hand into a shield to block the scepter, but the steel weapon fractured his joint, leaving it to dangle helplessly. But the morpholomew did not allow a simple injury to deter him from her goal. Using his remaining weapon, Morph stabbed forward and caught Xi off guard with his sudden determination and strength. The evil imperator was barely able to escape the attack with a large cut in the front of his robes. Muttering a rapid and mute incantation, Xi released a sphere of dark energy that collided with Morph’s chest, releasing a force equal to a thousand hammers. The warrior was shot backwards into the throne that formerly belonged to Ix and dropped unceremoniously to the floor. While coughing, Morph attempted to push himself back up, only to feel Xi’s foot pushing her back down.

“Are you will to admit surrender?” Xi questioned, seemingly hopeful.

“Not until I stop you.” Morph groaned.

“You are annoyingly stubborn.” Xi stated.

“Heh! I learned from the best.” Morph smirked.

“Hmm...” Xi hummed. “You have fallen farther than I had hoped you would. After raising you for nearly four centuries, it seems to have done nothing to disestablish your undesirable traits. Your blood is truly strong.”

“What are you talking about?” Morph hissed.

Xi did not answer right away, but instead stabbed his scepter into the floor and raised his hands to lift off his helmet. His face truly showed the passing of ages that surged through his blood. He was an old echidna with black fur that was considered rare among the Atoma world echidna race. His dreadlocks rested close to his shoulders and his eyes were without pupils, but glowing in a most frightening manner. This was the first time Morph had ever seen Xi’s face and his eyes scared him most of all. Though he could not see where his attention was drawn, the morpholomew had a suspicious feeling that he was looking directly into his eyes.

“I am both lucky and unfortunate that you did not inherit your father’s eyes.” Xi said slowly. “With the Solagan at my side, defeating my enemies would be a simple matter.

“You have learned your history well.” Xi cackled. “But like your father, you remain ignorant to the facts that are hidden in plain sight. Haven’t you ever wondered why you were different from everyone else in your tribe. The Solaris Tribe has always given birth to warrior with weak stature, but high intelligence. But for you, it was the exact opposite. You were a born warrior, but you lacked the necessary knowledge present for true Solaris.”

“Are you going to explain or continue speaking in riddles?!” Morph growled.

“You also inherited your father’s short temper.” Xi laughed. “Pachacamac never was one for patience.”

“Pachacamac?” Morph repeated stunned. “But...how?”

“I guess you deserve to know your true heritance.” Xi began. “You see, it all began when Pachacamac and I deliberated on how the Tribes should prosper. While we knew the advancement of technology was the only way to survive, Pachacamac was adamant on continuing the old traditions set down by our ancestors. Naturally, a rift grew between us.”

“That still doesn’t explain where I come in.” Morph sneered.

“Patience, child.” Xi said calmly. “I am getting to that. When our species was forced to choose sides between us, a majority of the echidna turned to Pachacamac’s leadership along side the world’s Morpholomews. This did not suit well for me. In an act of revenge, I used a prototype of the warp belt to sneak into the village without being detected. At the time, my mission was to kill Pachacamac’s wife, a Morpholomew. But on that same night, she went into labor and gave birth to two children: You and Tikal. This was an opportunity I could not pass up.”

“So you kidnapped me!” Morph hissed.

“It was my intention to take both of you.” Xi explained. “But Pachacamac and his guard discovered me and I was forced to retreat with only you. That ended up becoming my greatest blunder. After you were taken, your mother was driven to a state of hysteria which no medicine could cure. Having no choice, Pachacamac was forced to take the life of his love. And the moment he did, he awakened the Solaris’ greatest fear: The Solagan. Very soon, a small percent of the tribe women allowed themselves to become sacrifices to allow their lovers to access the Solagan.”

“That’s a little thing called karma.” Morph sniggered. “You took something from my father and he decimated your army.”

“I did find it to become annoying.” Xi growled. “When he had my soldiers perform the same scenario, I discovered that Pachacamac had used a Harmony and Chaos Emerald to allow only the Wrist Tribe to gain access of the Solagan. It was from that point that we created the Zigoids...and you.”

“Now that I know the truth, I will no longer assist the enemies of my family.” Morph stated firmly.

“And whoever said I was giving you a choice?” Xi grinned, pulling his staff from the floor. “In preparation of this, I thought ahead and formed a spell that would grant me full control over your actions.”

“That’s impossible.” Morph proclaimed. “There is only one possible power that allows you to control another.”

“I already know that Morph,” Xi said slowly. He lowered himself closer to his…ear and whispered in a vibrantly clear voice. “Evarínya vrangr unin du súndavar.”

For only one moment, Morph’s expression gave way to terror before becoming blissfully calm. All emotions disappeared from his face. Once assuming his control, Xi removing himself from his prized warrior and allowed him to stand.

“Who do you serve?” Xi questioned.

“You, Imperator Xi.” Morph said monotonously.

“And tomorrow, you will face Leo in the Final Match.” Xi instructed. “You will not show restraint or hesitation during your match. The moment you set foot in the ring, Leo must die.”

The scene alternates to the thirteenth floor below the basement. With the final stages of the plan coming together, the Zigoids had been shut down to recharge in preparation for tomorrows events. All clones of the guests had been successfully molded and only needed to be released for the final piece. Hybrid the Hedgehog stood forward facing the clone of Leo; a look of concentration and resentment filling in his expression. He placed a hand on the glass of the container, remembering what it felt to be on the other side.

“They are just like me.” Hybrid whispered. “A mere byproduct of an original source. You don’t know who you are or where you come from. Only that you are created.

Then the memory of Morph’s last words echoed through his thoughts.

“If you want to create war, then you are no different to the spider that killed...your...mother!”